If I were your Queen?
by reigning queen
Summary: IN PROGRESS: Sirius finds love, but can he keep her.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I am borrowing for a short period the characters wonderfully created by JK Rowlings. Also, the timeline I am using is consistent with the one found on the Lexicon. Please enjoy!

Prologue

A quarter-moon rising over the Forbidden Forest rustles few leaves and stirs little anxiety in its inhabitants. The sound of breaking twigs disturbs only slightly the soft hooting of owls as they establish the intruders' identities. Quiet reigns once again. Briefly seen through a patch in the clouds, the stars twinkle down on the earth in a pattern recognizable only to some.

Softly, a sigh escapes one creature as he reads the portents written in the heavens and wonders what fate would bring next. "It happens tonight," the deep rumbling voice states, "the planets have aligned, the stars foretold it, and evil now grows stronger. She will arrive shortly. We must help her to her fate."

"Firenze, you may feel free to become a mule for the humans, but I will keep my honor and stand as a centaur," Bane vehemently disagrees. "It is of no concern to our kind what games those creatures play. Ours is a proud and ancient race! What concern can their trivial matters mean to us! Do not lower your…."

"If you do not stand with them, you stand for evil. The stars do not lie! Great change is coming, great evil! The time is now! I say it this moment, and I will stand by my words, I set myself against this evil! She must be helped, she must safe. She is the catalyst for the changing of tides. She is coming soon. His plan is set in motion."

Once again, peace reigns in the Forbidden Forest. For now, the leaves gently rustle in a quarter-moon and owls hoot their contentment to the heavens.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

At seventeen, there was little that Sirius enjoyed more than Astronomy class. Escaping into the world, blanketed by darkness, where his thoughts were shown only to the gentle kiss of the stars. In its shadows he was never taken to task for his brooding countenance, nor was he harassed as to where the depths of his mind were straying. In the night, he was free to think; in the night, he was free to be.

Turning to his left, he glanced at his best friend, James Potter. James had his telescope fixed to the heavens, but his eyes obviously trained to the earth. Lily Evans stood far enough away that James was conspicuous in his attention to her, but as she had trained her eyes on him, as well, the fault seemed to be overlooked by the professor. For some inexplicable reason, they had been granted an indulgence by the professors of Hogwarts for their behavior. The professors tended to be harsh when chastising students for this same mooning. However, a gentle clearing of the throat from their Astronomy Professor sent Lily and James back to their studies.

Looking on his right-hand side, Sirius saw that Remus Lupin was missing, and that Remus' telescope remained covered and unused. Glancing at the moon left little doubt in his mind as to the reason why his friend was not there this evening. Slightly chuckling at the thought, Sirius mused that the ghosts inhabiting the Shrieking Shack would be heard tonight. Tomorrow would bring a fresh round of gossip from the local Hogsmeade's villagers as to the varied, ghastly haunting that occurred that night.

"Escape," Sirius sighed. Ignoring the questioning look of his third companion and friend, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius turned his body, and his attention, to the task at hand. Tonight he would be free; tonight he would set his own rules; tonight the Marauders would roam.

As the Professor signaled the end of the class, James placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "I see that Moony is missing tonight, Padfoot, my pal. Shall we keep him company?"

"Take care of your girl and grab the cloak," Sirius chuckled. Amused at how easily his mind and James' seemed to mesh, he threw an arm around James' neck, pulled him in to his chest, and rustled his hair. "It is nearly midnight. Moony deserves some companionship, wouldn't you say? I will meet you by the fire at say two o'clock"

"Hey…hey guys! What's going on? Where are we going? Did you see Remus was gone? Are we doing it to…?" Peter was interrupted by James grapping his collar and pulling him in closer.

"Are you out of your mind? Keep yourself calm. Of course the Marauders are roaming tonight," James hissed. "But unless you plan on letting the entire class know, I suggest you calm yourself down." James and Sirius exchanged amused glances. "Hey, Wormtail, why don't you work on procuring food for the hungry? We'll study at say two?"

As Peter scampered off to do as James had asked, the remaining two young men doubled over in laughter at his back. "You know," Sirius chuckled, "he is an amusing person. Do you think he realizes how funny he is or is it accidental?"

"Are you joking?" Sirius gasped. "Wormtail would rather die than humiliate himself! I often wonder why he was placed in Gryffindor. He should have been a snake."

At that moment, Lily strutted over to the laughing young men. Placing a casually graceful hand on her hip, she cocked her body to the side and watched James and Sirius with amusement sparkling in her eyes. Taking James' arm with her right hand and Sirius' arm with her left, she steered them toward the exit. "Are you picking on Pettigrew?" Lily's voice though serious, held a dry, amused laugh. "As his friends, you should be looking out for him. Instead, you two laugh behind his back…"

James stopped her with a kiss. "Aaww, come off, Lil. We're only having a little fun. Besides, Pettigrew knows he can count on us. He just makes us laugh is all."

"Yeah," chimed in Sirius. "He's like our funny bone. One little nudge, and we're doubled over for days." James and Sirius started rolling with laughter again. Lily clucked her tongue in distaste, but wisely held her thoughts on the matter. At that moment, a rather well-endowed Huffelpuff walked past, winking at Sirius. "Hey, Lucy," Sirius called after her, "Wanna help me study on Saturday?"

Licking her lips and looking him over, Lucy flipped her hair back, "Sure, but this time we are going to study." Lucy sauntered away causing both boys to follow her with their eyes.

"Ouch, that hurts, Lily," James yelped. As Lily now held an ear from each of the boys between two fingers it was plain to anyone who watched what was causing their discomfort.

"It serves you right, James. Last time I looked those eyes belonged to me. Keep them in your head," She planted a light kiss on James' lips and then rounded on Sirius. "As for you, always moaning and whining over why no one understands you. Stop looking for a quick roll, and maybe some woman will actually pay attention. Them perhaps you'll stop telling us how tragic your life is."

At the entrance of Gryffindor Tower, James pulled Lily into a long lingering kiss. "And that's why I love you, Babe. You keep our morals in line. Without you we'd still be hopeless pieces of scum, picking on the weak, stealing candy from … Hey that hurts." Lily's elbow had dug into James' stomach. Sirius doubled over in laughter had now actually fallen onto the floor to roll around laughing.

The lady in the portrait clucked and glared down her nose disapprovingly at the boys. "Are you going to give me the password? Or am I going to be subjected to more of this foolishness?"

Straightening, Sirius flashed his smile and tilted his head at the portrait, his jet black hair indolently covering one eye. "Please forgive us, my lady. We would never seek to inconvenience you. The password is _bulbotuber pus_." With a flourish he bowed low to the ground, causing a ripple of laughter from the portrait. As the picture slowly swung open, shaking with mirth, the three teenagers climbed inside.

The common room seemed bright and cheerful after the chill of the autumn night. School had been in session for only a week, but the temperature left no doubt in anyone's mind that the winter was fast approaching. Students still lounged about working on projects to be completed before the morning classes, but Sirius drifted instead to the window to gaze into the night. Homework was a priority for all the seventh years as they would be taking their NEWTS this year, but Sirius rarely worried about his school work. He had a keen and cunning mind that absorbed most of the lectures while the teachers spoke. He was also a very powerful wizard for his age; in fact the only one who could hold a candle to Sirius' talent was his best friend James.

After a quick glance showed James mussing his hair at Lily's side, Sirius climbed the stairs to his room. Lily was fast becoming the sister that he had never had, but her words had struck a blow. She was muggle born, and couldn't understand the loathing he felt at being a pureblood. No one understood him. James was a pureblood as well, but he only had four or five untainted generations in his family. Sirius could stretch his family tree back for hundreds of generations, all evil. Dark magic tied to the Black's blood line had insured that there would always be power in their offspring. It was a great power that was never dimmed by a muggle taint. He was the heir of the family, whether he had cast off his family and left their home or not. His parents preferred his younger brother, but power and ability said more than a charred name on a tapestry. He was the heir. The heir of darkness and evil. No one could understand that burden on his soul.

He flinched at the ungrateful thought towards James. His best friend tried to understand, but James was proud of his lineage. After the Potters had taken him under their wing, Sirius could understand why. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were strict, but loving parents. James was their little boy, and they had no qualms about showing the world how much they cared. After learning that Sirius had run away from home, the Potters insisted that he come to live with them. They accepted Sirius in a way his parents never had, as a son. The Potters were a pureblooded family, but they did not care one way or the other about a person's familial background. Lucky for Sirius, they judged a person by that person's actions, and nothing else. They were as accepting of Sirius' dark magic family as they were of Lily's muggle heritage.

As the door to the dorm opened, Sirius straightened and became nonchalant once more. James sauntered through, smirking at his best friend. Sirius tossed his pillow straight at James' head. "You know, one of these days she will come to her senses and realize that I am the one she's really interested in. Then you, my friend, will be left to watch me smirk and strut all over the dorm." Sirius ducked as the pillow came flying back at him.

"In your dreams, Padfoot." James quipped. "I fear that she is too far under my spell to ever give you a glance," with a heavy sigh, James plopped on the bed. "Seriously though, I think I'm in love with her. What am I going to do?"

Sirius chuckled and sat across the room on his own bed. "Seriously, though," mocked Sirius, "I think you've always been in love with her. Don't think about it. It'll give you a headache. Just enjoy what you have and let life happen. She loves you too, in case you haven't asked her."

The clock began to chime two o'clock. James reached in his trunk and drew out the invisibility cloak. Throwing it over themselves, the two boys slipped out of the room. As they quietly crossed the common room, small rustles were heard as the remaining students slumped farther into their studies. The fat lady's portrait slowly swung inside showing a heavily burdened Peter. James and Sirius placed the food procured from the kitchens into a bag on James' back, as Peter slipped under the cloak. The three boys began their descent out of the castle from the Gryffindor tower.

The doors to the castle swung wide as the three approached, allowing a glimmer of moonlight to streak the hall behind them. Slowly the doors closed. Looking at one another's faces, the three melted into their new forms. Years of clandestine studying had allowed the three young men to perform a feat that few fully developed wizards were able to do, they were Animagi, shape shifters who could turn into animals at will. James and Sirius had always been extremely proficient in magic, but Peter had learned to make this change only by channeling the energy of his two friends. For months James or Sirius had to cast a spell to force Peter's body into that of the small rat he became. Now they were as one in their movements. Sirius, a very large and aggressive looking dog, took the cloak gently with his teeth and placed it behind the bushes guarding the entrance to the castle.

With a snuffle in his direction, the rat jumped onto the large, black body of the dog. Looking to the left, they saw the silver stag rear onto his hind feet and paw at the air. Together the dog and the stag ran through the grounds surrounding the castle. Their destination was a deceptively simple willow that lay near the edge of the grounds. Upon arriving, Peter slipped off of Sirius' back and scuttled toward the base of the tree. The closer he approached, the more the wind seemed to rustle through the branches of the willow. The willow began to sway as if in hurricane force winds, and the braches began punching the animals' directions. The rat slipped under the base and appeared to rise on its hind legs. A long sliding motion was heard, and the tree rustled to a stop. The other animals slipped under the branches and disappeared from view.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Slowly, the three animals melted back into their human forms. Traversing the lengthy tunnel, the students entered into a softly lit hallway of an old, abandoned house. The Shrieking Shack was the "ancient" new name given to this building. Seven years ago, villagers began whispering in startled half phrases about the new and mysterious noises that plagued them from the crumbling confines of the house. Many a brave youth had attempted entrance to the shack, only to be rebuffed by a mysterious force at the doors. As local legends tend to run, the story soon became one that had been passed on for generations, and the mist and haze of time descended onto reality.

Carefully climbing the creaking stairs, the boys stopped to mournful whimpers coming from the room at the top. "Mooney, we brought you some homework. See, you'll have plenty to work on now!" Sirius half-heartedly called in. A gentle snort, followed by a moan of pain was their only answer. Pushing the door in, the three entered the room.

In the corner, chained to the floor was a monstrous vision. The werewolf raised its long snout and sniffed the air. Its eyes were dark and cold. Long, jagged teeth gleamed from behind its lips as a harsh breath rattled in its lungs. Long arms and legs, ending in paws with wickedly sharp claws would have made many a brave person run for cover, but the soft moan sent James and Sirius racing to the werewolf's side. Peter hung back looking on in disgust before slowly making his way to his friends' side.

"Remus," whispered James, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We're here now. It's going to be okay." The werewolf slowly raised and lowered his head as if in acknowledgement of what was said. Pain emanated from the crumpled form that lay prone at their feet.

Raising his wand, Sirius spoke the incantation that freed the werewolf of his bonds. "Let's get out of here. Would you like something to eat?" Reaching behind him, he grabbed the bag that James had left by the door. Opening it, he handed the werewolf several hunks of what appeared to be chicken. The werewolf gratefully took it, and placing it in his mouth, ate. Stretching his long, sinuous body, the animal slowly raised from the floor. Tossing his head and giving a quick shake, he motioned his neck towards the door. As if their thoughts were one, the three boys melted back into their Animagi forms. Together, the four left the house and the confines of the tree's hidden chamber.

Upon reaching the outside, Sirius lifted his head and howled to the full moon breaking from behind the clouds. The lingering sound was answered by Lupin's werewolf cry. Tossing his antlers high in the air, the silver stag galloped off towards the farthest knoll on the grounds followed closely by the dog and the werewolf. The rat, not able to keep up with his friends, contented himself with searching the base of the tree for food.

James, Sirius, and Remus stretched their lithe animal forms into an all out run. Together they ran as one; together bound by bonds tighter than blood they raced the wind The three animals racing in the moonlight would have caused many a disturbing thought for the tenants of Hogwarts Castle or the villagers of Hogsmeade, but no one was about to comment. Cresting a hill, Sirius looked back with longing and contentment at the only place he felt home, Hogwart's, and yelped in surprise.

A convoy of carriages sped with grace to the front of the castle. No markings were visible to distinguish them, but little doubt was left in Sirius' mind as to the level of importance of the owner of this convoy. The black carriages were each pulled by four beautiful, black thoroughbred horses. The harnesses glittered slightly in the light of the moon. Upon arrival at the front gate, the convoy stopped as one. Many cloaked wizards exited the carriages, hoods drawn over their heads so their faces were not revealed to any who might be watching, and briefly scouted the nearby vicinity. At last, a short portly caped figure was seen leaving the center carriage. The figure stopped, turned back, and reached a suddenly revealed hand back towards the interior. A small lithe foot touched the top step of the carriage; a delicate hand grasped the stoutly one offered. "She stepped out into the night, and all the star's light caressed her face," was the only thought swimming in Sirius' head before a harshly spoken word had her drawing the hood to shadow her face. The great doors swung open and the line of people entered. As if she could hear his heart thumping in his chest, the young woman briefly turned and looked in Sirius' direction. Sirius could swear her emerald green eyes locked with his before turning to disappear into the depths of the school.

Hours later, after the moon had begun its slow descent into morning, the three returned to the Whomping Willow to replace Remus' bonds and return the other three friends to their room. Upon arrival, James lifted his head to indicate that Peter was nowhere to be found. The three searched for a while, but as day began to crest on the eastern horizon, they slipped under the tree and into the shack. Quickly bolting Remus' chains, James and Sirius slipped under the invisibility cloak and raced outside. They still had not found Peter, but if they were to remain undetected and keep their secret they must return to the school and quickly. Sirius' mind remained transfixed on the figures they had seen earlier.


End file.
